11.15.2007

Matt Damon has been named the "sexiest man alive" by People mag, an honor that has previously been bestowed twice on his pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The 37-year-old actor is featured on the cover of People's annual issue, on newsstands Friday. Damon, who is married to Luciana Bozan, said the honor came as a surprise. "You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime," he says in a letter published in the magazine. "My nine-year-old stepdaughter now thinks I'm cool - well, cooler." Damon, who also has a one-year-old daughter, Isabella, says "all the campaigning" by Clooney and Pitt had finally paid off. "Unfortunately, after all those years out on the trail, the meet and greets, the fundraisers, the stump speeches, I've finally come to terms with the fact that this is a mantle I wasn't meant to hold," he says in the letter. "Don't get me wrong, though. I was really shocked and happy (Lucy said I actually blushed) when I heard the news. So I can't thank you enough for that."